30-second overview: Uni-President Group is Taiwan's largest retail and food conglomerate, but it functions more like a container. From a pack of Uni-President noodles in 1970, the first 7-ELEVEN opened in 1980, to swallowing Carrefour in 2023, over half a century it has packed Taiwan people's lives—day by day, square by square—into its own system. In 2025 alone, Uni-President Stores operated 7,248 outlets, with combined revenue of NT$3,507.3 billion and a market share exceeding 50%. This article does not discuss annual report summaries; it discusses how a flour mill in Tainan redefined how Taiwanese people live their daily lives—and who foots the bill for this convenience.
On August 25, 1967, in Tainan, 38-year-old Kao Ch'ing-yuan, along with 82 employees, launched a small factory producing flour and animal feed with a motto of "Three Goodness and One Fairness"1. That year, he was still far from the title of "food empire," probably never imagining that more than half a century later, nearly every moment of a Taiwanese person's day—from waking up to going to sleep—would be packed into his company's system.
The tea-leaf egg paired with breakfast, the pack of Uni-President braised pork noodles cooked on a typhoon night, the utility bill paid at the convenience store, the pickup locker for online shopping, and that afternoon's Starbucks—large portions of all of these were packed into Taiwanese lives one square at a time by this Tainan flour mill. It is Taiwan's largest retail group, and also the quiet hand rewriting how Taiwanese people live. What this article wants to talk about is how this container was filled, square by square.
A Pack of Braised Pork Noodles and an 82-Person Flour Mill
Kao Ch'ing-yuan's starting point was even lower than a flour mill. Born in Tainan in 1929, his father passed away when he was 13, and he first worked at a slipper factory in downtown Tainan, earning a monthly salary of NT$15. Later, through an introduction from his wife's elder brother, Wu Hsiu-chi, he joined "Sin Ho Hsin Trading Company" as an apprentice, working his way up to chief of the sales department at Tainan Textiles before starting his own business at the age of 382. On the day Uni-President was founded, the chairman was Wu Hsiu-chi, and the general manager was Kao Ch'ing-yuan. This trajectory—from child laborer to founder—was later condensed into a phrase Kao repeatedly mentioned: "Without Wu Hsiu-chi, there would be no me!"3
"Three Goodness and One Fairness" was Uni-President's earliest trademark, and also a set of business philosophy that Wu Hsiu-chi kept quoting and Kao Ch'ing-yuan took as his model: the "Three Goodness" referred to "good service, good credit, and good quality," while "One Fairness" meant "fair prices"4. A factory that only made flour and animal feed initially sold nothing but integrity and cheapness.
What truly sent Uni-President into the taste memory of the Taiwanese people was instant noodles. On March 29, 1970, the first-generation "Uni-President Noodles" was launched, but it couldn't beat the then-market leader, "Sheng Li Noodles"5. Uni-President didn't give up; it retreated to research for over four months and on August 3, 1971, launched "Uni-President Braised Pork Noodles," accompanied by a separate packet of braised pork oil, and also shot Taiwan's first-ever instant noodle TV commercial. It was that orange oil packet that transformed Uni-President from a follower into a classic. Many Taiwanese people remember the taste of "Uni-President Noodles" as actually the taste of the 1971 braised pork noodles.
After that, Uni-President took off like a rocket, putting national staples on the shelves generation after generation: in October 1983, the launch of "Full House" featured the first flavor "Premium Beef Noodles," for which Uni-President specially invited cooking expert Fu Pei-mei to guide the recipe and printed her portrait on the packaging "as evidence of joint development"6. A famous chef known for making banquet dishes and a pack of affordable instant food formed the most contrasting collaboration of that era. In 1991, "A-Q Bucket Noodles" went for a large bowl, targeting young men with big appetites and blue-collar workers7. In 2001, "Tea King" bottled "the afternoon of white-collar workers" in a bottle of unsweetened green tea8. In 1998, "Uni-President Ruisui Fresh Milk" helped the dairy industry in Hualien stand on its own as a brand9.
These names lined up together are almost like the dormitories, offices, and typhoon nights of three generations of Taiwanese people. For the older generation of grandparents, instant noodles were once a rare and even luxurious item. For the middle generation, a pack of Uni-President braised pork noodles was a warm comfort in the dormitory and on typhoon nights. For today's young people, these orange packages have simply become an ordinary sight on the shelves. The same brand carries completely different memories for three generations.
💡 Did you know? In 1992, the Uni-President Lions baseball team, in order to promote their newly launched "A-Q Bucket Noodles," directly named a foreign player from the Dominican Republic, José Canó, "A-Q," and had him play under that product name7. This opened the trend of "foreign player names are just product placement by the parent company" in Taiwanese professional baseball, and is also a small footnote of Uni-President taking "selling noodles" into the realm of national sports.
More than half a century later, this food product line has grown to a remarkable scale. Uni-President Enterprise (stock code 1216) achieved a combined revenue of NT$6,728.6 billion for the full year of 2025, hitting a new high10. However, the same financial report also reminds us not to think of Uni-President as having been smooth sailing all the way: that year, net profit after tax actually decreased by 5%, leaving NT$196.2 billion, with earnings per share of NT$3.45, and the company officially attributed this to soaring coffee bean costs and the rectification of e-commerce businesses10. Revenue hitting a new high while profit shrinks—this "increased revenue without increased profit" paradox is the first reminder in understanding today's Uni-President: it is huge, but not without pressure.
Seven Years of Loss Before the Light Came On
If Uni-President's food product line grew steadily, its convenience store business was initially a money-losing mess.
This beginning is often compressed into the sentence "introduced 7-ELEVEN in 1978," but it actually took place over several steps. In April 1978, Uni-President raised NT$190 million to establish "Uni-President Supermarket Co., Ltd." In May 1979, 14 "Uni-President Supermarkets" opened nationwide simultaneously, but the signboard at that time did not yet have 7-ELEVEN. It was not until October 1979 that Uni-President signed a contract with the American Southland Company to introduce the know-how. On February 9, 1980, the first "Zhongshan Gate Store" with the 7-ELEVEN signboard opened in a lane on Zhongshan East Road in Taipei11. Signing the contract with the United States was actually something that happened a year and a half after the company was established. Even the "open 24 hours from day one" was a later story: the official chronology lists "began 24-hour operation" separately in 1983, three years after opening, as a gradual operational model11.
Taiwanese people were not convinced at first. In an era when traditional grocery stores and wet markets were still mainstream, a small, expensive store with nothing cheaper was hard to understand why anyone would go in. This kind of store lost money for a full seven years, with losses ranging from tens of millions to one billion yuan according to various retrospective articles, and Uni-President Stores has never officially disclosed the exact total loss12. In November 1982, due to severe losses, the convenience store business was merged back into the parent company's "Convenience Store Department," and even the later-called "father of circulation," Hsu Chung-chen, was first transferred to manage bread13.
The turning point came from someone who voluntarily walked back into the fire. In 1984, Hsu Chung-chen voluntarily requested a transfer back to this unpopular, hot potato business. After returning, his first move was to stop the bleeding: he cut the 75 stores that were mostly losing money down to just 3014. First do subtraction, then do addition. By April 1986, the 100th store, "Qingyuan Store," opened, and 7-ELEVEN finally ended seven consecutive years of losses. By mid-1987, "Uni-President Stores Co., Ltd." was re-established as an independent legal entity (official registration date: June 10, 1987)15. Hsu Chung-chen's success was not smooth at all: first demoted to manage bread, then voluntarily chose to return to a business no one wanted, first closed stores to stop the bleeding, and only then dared to reopen. The light that shone in the convenience store was one that took seven years to turn on.
After turning a profit, Uni-President Stores truly accelerated: in 1988, it obtained the authorization from the American 7-ELEVEN, and in 1990, it opened up franchising in the Taiwan region16. A media retrospective article says it became the world's third-largest 7-ELEVEN chain system in 198917, but this ranking has only a single source and is not included in the official chronology; a more reliable statement is "some say." But the direction was not wrong: this store, which was once the most money-losing, later became Uni-President Group's most profitable golden goose.
From 14 stores to 7,248 stores, this growth curve itself is a story of Taiwan.
Paying Bills, Picking Up Packages, and Fried Pork Cakes: Taiwan's Second Living Room
If 7-ELEVEN only made things more convenient to buy, it would not have become what it is today. Its real transformation was from "a store" to "a machine that helps you get things done."
In November 2005, Uni-President Stores launched the ibon Convenience Life Station, moving the errands originally scattered across banks, post offices, and government agencies into the street corner18. Today, you can pay utility bills, parking fees, traffic fines, and license fuel tax at a small seven, pick up online shopping packages, print documents, book high-speed rail tickets, and receive OPEN POINT points. The steam on the pot of stewed pork cakes, the tea-leaf eggs floating in the broth, the rows of rice balls on the shelves, and the ibon machines beeping—this combination of scenes is exactly what many Taiwanese people think of as their "second living room." It is a payment counter, a pickup station, an ATM, a restroom, a copy room, a seating area, and also the most concentrated square of Taiwanese convenience store culture.
The stewed pork cakes at the counter of a small seven. When paying bills, picking up packages, copying, and getting cash can all be done at the same street corner, the convenience store becomes the Taiwanese people's "second living room." Photo: Tbatb / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Uni-President Stores also knew how to find a face for this space. On July 1, 2005, Uni-President Stores held a product launch conference and unveiled the mascot OPEN Army designed by the Japanese advertising agency Dentsu. At that time, the general manager, Hsu Chung-chen, explained the naming: "‘Open’ represents an attitude of being open-minded toward any person, thing, or matter, and embracing life with optimism and joy"19. This little dog later spawned thousands of derivative products, creating a business worth over NT$100 million annually, becoming one of Taiwan's most profitable mascots.
The OPEN Army, which debuted in 2005, found a face for this street corner space, and is now one of Uni-President Stores' most profitable character IPs. Photo: Openchenchen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
💡 Did you know? The "birthday" of OPEN Army was officially set on July 11, 2005, to echo the 7-11 brand number; but the product launch conference where it was officially unveiled was actually held on July 119. A birthday created to echo the brand, paired with a real launch date that was arranged differently, perfectly shows the meticulous little tricks Uni-President plays with its brand.
The scale has also stacked up to an astonishing height. In 2025, Uni-President Stores broke through 7,000 stores, with a total of 7,248 7-ELEVEN stores, and over 8,282 service points across Taiwan, ranking first in market share and exceeding 50%. That year's combined revenue reached NT$3,507.3 billion, a new high, with a year-on-year increase of 3.79%2021. The number of Uni-President's uniopen membership circle (formerly OPEN POINT) surpassed 19 million by September of that year22, close to 80% of the entire population of Taiwan. Looking at it together with the four major convenience store chains, Uni-President's leading margin is even clearer.
Source: Uni-President Stores Company Profile, Taiwan Chain & Franchise Promotion Association, 2025
Taiwan's convenience store density is often the subject of jokes, but there is a number that needs to be corrected: it is not the world's first. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Statistics Division's data from July 2025, Taiwan has one convenience store for every 1,659 people, and the density is indeed among the top two in the world, but the first place belongs to South Korea, and Taiwan is second2324. This "world's second" ranking has been stable for nearly a decade, it's just that South Korea is expanding faster and the gap is widening.
📝 Editor's Note: "Taiwan's convenience store density ranks second in the world" is often used as a medal of commercial success, but this statement reverses the cause and effect by half. This high density is truly driven by Taiwan's social structure: dual-income families, urbanization, and some of the longest working hours in the world, mean that a whole generation comes home from work too busy to cook, and children are not picked up after school, relying on the 24-hour store on the street corner to make up for life. Uni-President is good at opening stores, but what really made "convenience" a necessity is the Taiwanese people's lives themselves. Sociologist Zhang Lixiang has studied Taiwan's convenience stores for many years, calling Taiwan the "land of overwork," and even naming a book《My Convenience Store, Your Overwork》2526. Density is an achievement, but it is also a bill, and we'll settle the other half of that bill at the end.
From a Pack of Noodles to a Living Circle
When a company simultaneously controls the Taiwanese people's breakfast, noodles, and the lights on the street corner, what will it do next? The answer is: to stretch its reach into every remaining gap in the day.
In 1998, Uni-President and Starbucks from the United States jointly invested to bring Starbucks into Taiwan, which is equivalent to putting "the space of a cup of coffee" into its territory; in 2017, Uni-President even bought back 100% of the shares of Starbucks in Taiwan, putting this business entirely in its hands2728. This is just one square. Started in 1989 and formally established as Uni-President Life Business in 1995, Kang Sheng Mei, filled in the gap of pharmacies29; between 1999 and 2000, Uni-President Express (Black Cat Express), introduced the transportation technology of Yamato, filled in the gap of home delivery30; in 2001, the acquisition of PChome, filled in the gap of online bookstores and pickup31; in 2004, the joint venture with Japan's Ryokusei to create Uni-President Donuts (Mister Donut), filled in the gap of doughnuts that people line up to buy32; in 2007, the opening of the high-end shopping mall in Kaohsiung, was a city-level shopping mall with an investment of about NT$3 billion by Uni-President Group, with a floor area of 78,000 square meters33. From eating, drinking, using, shopping, sending, and buying—one square at a time, filling up. Uni-President Group Chairman Luo Chih-hsuan gave this territory a definition: "24-hour living industry, never the best, never saturated"34.
Swallowing Carrefour and a Receipt of Nearly NT$1 Billion Returned
The most dramatic puzzle piece of this living circle is Carrefour. When Taiwan's Carrefour was established in 1987, Uni-President Group was already a shareholder (French Carrefour 60%, Uni-President Enterprise and Uni-President Stores each 20%), so Uni-President was not a stranger from the beginning. On July 19, 2022, Uni-President Enterprise and Uni-President Stores' board of directors decided to buy the 60% equity held by the French party for NT$23.9 billion and NT$5.1 billion respectively, totaling NT$29 billion, and brought 340 stores into the fold35. However, the price of this acquisition was not settled on the day of signing the contract.
Source: Central News Agency
NT$29 billion was a handshake price, NT$31.16 billion was the actual payment made when the delivery was completed in June 2023, and by November 2025, the final settlement according to the contract terms was adjusted down to NT$30.23 billion, returning nearly NT$1 billion compared to the delivery36. Mergers and acquisitions are not over after signing the contract; the actual performance two years later is what counts. After swallowing Carrefour, Uni-President rose to become the largest retail group in "convenience stores and hypermarkets first, and supermarkets second," note the wording here: it is the first in convenience stores and hypermarkets, not unconditionally the leader in all categories37. The Fair Trade Commission approved this acquisition with conditions the year before, one of the burdens being to limit Uni-President Stores' shareholding in Carrefour to prevent excessive concentration of channels38.
The Carrefour hypermarket in Taichung. In 2023, Uni-President Group completed the acquisition of Carrefour Taiwan, instantly becoming the largest retail group in both convenience stores and hypermarkets. Photo: Solomon203 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
By the way, two common misconceptions. Auchan was not purchased by Uni-President — it was acquired by RT-Mart in 2021; the China Times ran a headline reading "Buying Carrefour but not competing in large shopping malls? Uni-President and RT-Mart shift to supermarket and convenience store battles," and reading only the first half easily conflates the two companies' actions into one39. The other misconception is Uniqlo: Uni-President sold off Taiwan Uniqlo's equity as early as January 2014, and ended the in-store partnership in 2021 — it is no longer part of Uni-President's empire40.
📝 Curator's note: Interestingly, when you flip through Uni-President Group's own official brand overview page, "Taiwan Uniqlo" is still listed under the retail channels, alongside several brand names that have long been unfamiliar to most people41. An empire so vast that it doesn't even have time to update which signs at its own doorstep should be taken down — this small oversight speaks more loudly than any official description of "spanning retail, logistics, and trade."
By July 2025, Uni-President opened DREAM PLAZA in Taipei's Xinyi District, featuring what the media described as the largest Starbucks flagship store in Taiwan, as well as PChome's first 24-hour physical store. It is a completely different building and city from the 2007 Dream Mall in Kaohsiung — they only share the word root "Dream." From that flour mill in 1967 to a city-level shopping mall centered on "life proposals," the path Uni-President has taken over more than half a century can be laid out as a timeline.
The Uni-President Dream Mall in Kaohsiung, which opened in 2007, was built with an investment of approximately NT$30 billion by Uni-President Group. The Ferris wheel on the roof has become a Kaohsiung landmark. Photo: Xiaodeng / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
Source: Uni-President Enterprise, Uni-President Store official chronology
The Old Sauerkraut of the Taiwan Strait
This container called Uni-President doesn't just hold a day in the lives of Taiwanese people — it also holds a piece of the Chinese market. This section is purely about scale, without judgment.
Uni-President extended its food and beverage business into mainland China early on, and on December 17, 2007, "Uni-President China Holdings" (Uni-President Central Core, Hong Kong Stock Exchange ticker: 0220) was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at an issue price of HK$4.2242. In 2025, Uni-President Central Core's annual revenue reached RMB 317.1 million, up 4.6% year-over-year, with a net profit of RMB 20.5 million, up 10.9% year-over-year, both hitting new highs43. It is one of the main suppliers of instant noodles and beverages in the Chinese market, with well-known products including Old Master Kang's beef noodles with pickled mustard, Taste Expert soups, and the youth-oriented cold-brewed tea "Little Ming Tongxue"4445.
In 2010, a Uni-President green tea stall on Beijing's Wangfujing Street. Uni-President extended its food and beverage business to mainland China early on, and now operates independently through Uni-President Central Core listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Photo: Claoisumna / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
It's important to clarify here: Old Master Kang's beef noodles with pickled mustard are products launched by Uni-President Central Core in mainland China (tested in Sichuan in 2003, nationwide rollout in 2008, and not exclusively produced by Uni-President — companies like Master Kong also produce products under the same name); Little Ming Tongxue is likewise a brand launched by Uni-President China in 2015 in the Chinese market4647. They are not on the shelves of Uni-President convenience stores in Taiwan, belonging to a separate ledger of Uni-President Group's cross-strait operations. As for the often-cited figure of "what percentage of Uni-President Group's revenue comes from overseas or China," there is no reliable first-hand breakdown, and it's nearly impossible to reconcile through arithmetic (Uni-President Store alone, whose main business is Taiwan's 7-ELEVEN, generated more than half of the consolidated revenue of the parent company in 2025). Therefore, this article prefers to simply state the scale rather than manipulate percentages. Uni-President Enterprise (listed in Taiwan), Uni-President Central Core (listed in Hong Kong, operating only in China), and Uni-President Store (listed in Taiwan, main business is Taiwan's 7-ELEVEN) are three different financial reporting scopes — mixing them together will only lead to errors.
The Son-in-Law's Sixtieth Birthday
An empire spanning the Taiwan Strait from noodles to hypermarkets eventually faces one question: who to pass it on to? Uni-President's answer is hidden in a recurring number: sixty.
Gao Qihong turned the succession into a family rule. He was explicit in his lifetime: "In order to ensure the company's continued operation, we will never have a lifetime general manager, and we must promote generational change in personnel. Retire at 60."48 In 1989, at the age of 60, he handed over the general manager position of Uni-President Enterprise to Lin Cangsheng and took over as president49. In 1987, he did the same, handing over the general manager position of Uni-President Store to Xu Zhongren50. Hiring people was his greatest concern. He left behind a quote that has been repeatedly cited: "Even sand will release oil when squeezed."51
The person who received this empire was his son-in-law, Luo Zhi-xian. Luo Zhi-xian married Gao Qihong's only daughter Gao Xiuling in 1985, and joined Uni-President the following year as a son-in-law. He was promoted to general manager in 2007 and, on November 12, 2013, when his father-in-law stepped down as chairman, he became chairman and general manager5253. He pushed forward two key strategies within the group: first, the Mega Brand plan after being promoted to executive deputy general manager in 2004, which categorized brands by revenue tiers of NT$200 million, NT$500 million, and NT$1 billion for investment — Honeydew tea and Master Kong's braised pork rice were among the first batch of pilot brands; second, the "Phoenix Plan" for the Chinese market after taking over as general manager, which reportedly reduced the number of instant noodle varieties from over 400 to fewer than 40, focusing resources, turning the instant noodle business from loss to profit, and laying the foundation for Uni-President Central Core54. Cutting down to the essence — this "subtraction first" approach subtly echoes the triage measures Xu Zhongren implemented in the convenience store department thirty years ago.
What best reveals the character of this company is Luo Zhi-xian's own sixtieth birthday. On June 22, 2016, upon turning 60, he voluntarily resigned as general manager of Uni-President Group, handing over to Hou Ronglong, retaining only the chairmanship52. Gao Qihong handed over at 60, Luo Zhi-xian handed over at 60 — two generations letting go at the same number, turning the phrase "never a lifetime general manager" from a slogan into a rule verified by their own hands.
💡 Did you know: Uni-President founder Gao Qihong passed away on March 23, 2016. The obituary stated he "died at the age of 88," using the traditional Chinese counting method; by Western age reckoning, someone born in 1929 would actually be 8655. A very Tainan, very traditional entrepreneur — even in death, he left behind two calculation methods, just like his "Three Goodness and One Fairness" motto: simple, traditional, yet remembered by an entire generation of Taiwanese.
Three Strikes in Three Months, and the Other Side of Convenience
A beloved enterprise also has another side it must honestly face. Uni-President's most severe test came from the 2014 food safety crisis sweeping across Taiwan, and its position was more complex than "simple preemptive removal" and far cleaner than "black-hearted culprit."
The real mastermind behind this crisis was Strongyang and Tung Shin. Strongyang used recycled waste oil to make "Chung-yung fragrant pork oil," and its chairman Ye Wenxiang was sentenced to 20 years in the first trial; due to the increase in downstream affected manufacturers in the second trial, the sentence was increased to 22 years in September 201756. Uni-President was dragged into it because it was downstream on this contamination chain — and it was affected more than once.
Source: Upstream and downstream news, Liberty Times, Central News Agency
Three contamination chains, belonging to different procurement decisions, exposed at three different times. In September, Uni-President Store's invested fresh food factory Uni-President Musashi was found to have used Strongyang's problematic pork oil in its "National Stir-Fried Rice Noodles," and was immediately removed from shelves nationwide57; in October, it was revealed that subsidiary Uni-Clean, due to a production line malfunction, purchased 5.57 tons of Tung Shin's problematic butter from Mitsubishi Trading, which was used in 19 types of instant noodle sauce packets including Mihan, Lai Chi, and A-Q Bucket Noodles58; in November, it was revealed that Uni-President had purchased Vietnamese feed-grade coconut oil through Tung Shin channels in 2012, which was used in 23 products including Uni-President pudding and Ruisui milk ice cream (though most of these products had already expired by the time they were exposed)59. One crisis, three strikes within three months.
What should be clarified should be clarified, and what should be restored should be restored. Uni-President was involved in these chains due to supply chain procurement decisions, not due to its own falsification — it was a downstream user affected by the contamination. The most powerful evidence is: afterward, Uni-President sued Tung Shin for compensation of NT$103 million, litigated for five years, and finally settled for NT$17 million — only recovering about one-sixth, and publicly stated that the settlement would be invested in public welfare60. If it were a co-conspirator, it wouldn't have sued back. Even earlier, in the 2011 plasticizer incident, Uni-President took out a newspaper advertisement to apologize. Professor Sun Luoxi from the Department of Food Science and Technology at National Taiwan University commented: "The company has finally said what it should have said."61 Honestly speaking, Uni-President was not the main culprit of this black-hearted storm, but it was also not an innocent third party that escaped unscathed — both can be true at the same time.
⚠️ Controversial viewpoint: It's more important to clarify Uni-President's position in the 2014 food safety crisis than to take sides. It shouldn't be blamed for the collective sentiment of "destroying the brand" (the real black-hearted culprits are Strongyang and Tung Shin), nor should it pretend that its subsidiaries completely didn't use the problematic oil. It is a downstream purchaser that was harmed by procurement decisions but also had some involvement in the production end — and it took five years of litigation to recover only a fraction of the compensation. This "not bad enough, not clean enough" gray area is the true face of supply chain risks.
Beyond the storm, there's that "other side of the convenience bill." The 24-hour glowing lamp on every street corner in Taiwan is backed by long-standing disputes over the franchise system and labor conditions. Researchers point out that Taiwan's franchise stores mostly adopt a "1 direct, 9 franchised" structure, where franchisees' procurement, pricing, display, and even how to greet customers are all set by headquarters; labor union publications describe it as "a retail version of the manufacturing outsourcing system"; the working hours of store managers are so long that they are close to overwork by labor standards2562. Uni-President's own logistics have also been fined by labor inspections due to labor disputes26. Convenience is truly convenient, but part of this convenience is propped up by suppressed labor costs — this is the real weight behind the nickname "Island of Overwork." There's another item on the bill: Taiwanese people are increasingly accustomed to using convenience stores to solve all three meals, and these convenient instant foods are generally high in sodium and oil, making the health cost of convenience store diets a topic that nutritionists have been warning about for years.
Of course, Uni-President is also transforming. Its subsidiary Uni-President Store has been selected for the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) for six consecutive years — the only retailer in Taiwan to make the list for six years running, and in 2024 it ranked third globally in food retail, with full marks on six indicators6364. The subject receiving this sustainability recognition is "Uni-President Store" (7-ELEVEN), not the parent company Uni-President Enterprise itself. From being a downstream purchaser in the waste oil crisis to becoming a model student on the sustainability index, Uni-President took ten years to walk a path that was not pretty but was real.
Next time you pass by that lone lamp still glowing on a typhoon night: tea eggs drifting in soy sauce, the steam from the rice cake stall fogging up the glass, the clerk putting up the last rice roll. Inside that lamp is something a 13-year-old boy from Tainan, sitting in a shoe factory with a monthly salary of NT$15, never could have imagined. You walk into a convenience store, but you take away the evidence of a Taiwanese flour mill that spent more than half a century, grid by grid, filling the word "daily life" into your life. What you take for granted as convenience is actually a Taiwan chronicle that you walk past every day but rarely read.
Further reading:
- Taiwanese Convenience Store Culture: How 7-Eleven transformed from "a small and expensive weird store" into the second living room of Taiwanese people — this article discusses the entire convenience store phenomenon.
- RT-Mart: Almost simultaneously with Uni-President's acquisition of Carrefour, RT-Mart acquired Auchan — the other half of the "winner-takes-all" consolidation in Taiwan's retail industry.
- Mascot: Behind OPEN's little soldier, how Taiwanese companies use a character to cultivate brand emotions.
- Top 50 Taiwanese Enterprises: Placing Uni-President within Taiwan's corporate map, seeing its relative position alongside giants like TSMC and Foxconn.
- Taiwanese Enterprise: I-Mei Food: Both starting from pastries and food, one building an empire through channels, one walking the path of food safety and integrity — two different roads for Taiwan's food industry.
Image Sources
This article uses 6 CC-licensed / public domain images, all cached at public/article-images/economy/ to avoid hotlinking to source servers:
- 7-ELEVEN store exterior — Photo: Solomon203 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 7-ELEVEN takoyaki — Photo: Tbatb / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- OPEN Kid — Photo: Openchenchen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Carrefour Taichung Xitun store — Photo: Solomon203 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Uni-President Dream Mall — Photo: Xiao Deng / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
- Beijing Wangfujing Uni-President green tea booth — Photo: Claoisumna / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
References
- Uni-President Enterprise Co., Ltd. Official Website – Growth History (1967–1976) — The official Uni-President Enterprise chronology page, which records verbatim: 'On August 25, 1967, Chairman Wu Hsiu-chi and General Manager Kao Ch'ing-yuan led 82 employees with the motto 'Three Goodness and One Fairness' to establish Uni-President Enterprise in Tainan,' serving as a primary source for the founding date and location (the official text only specifies 'Tainan,' without naming the district).↩
- Central News Agency – Kao Ch'ing-yuan Passes Away, Leaving Behind a Legacy Built on 'Three Goodness and One Fairness' — A Central News Agency press release detailing the life trajectory of Kao Ch'ing-yuan—from his father's early death, becoming a child laborer at age 13, apprenticing as a cloth peddler, to founding his business at age 38—one of the most authoritative secondary biographical sources.↩
- China Times – A Hero from Tainan: Wu Hsiu-chi Mentors Kao Ch'ing-yuan — A 2016 report on the passing of Kao Ch'ing-yuan, which includes his verbatim words of gratitude toward his relative-in-law Wu Hsiu-chi: 'Without Wu Hsiu-chi, there would be no me!'↩
- Far Eastern Economic Review – Uni-President Founder Kao Ch'ing-yuan Passes Away, 'The Spirit of Three Goodness and One Fairness' Lives On — A mainstream Taiwanese financial media outlet, which explains verbatim: 'Three Goodness means good service, good credit, and good quality; One Fairness means fair pricing,' serving as a key source to correct common misconceptions.↩
- United Daily News Group – Instant Noodles: A 57-Year Journey — A multimedia special by the United Daily News Group, which clarifies verbatim that the 1970 'Uni-President Noodles' and the August 1971 'Uni-President Braised Pork Noodles' are two distinct products from different years—the latter came with a braised pork oil packet and achieved success through the first-ever instant noodle TV commercial.↩
- Business Weekly alive – The Birth of the Mansion Combo Meal — A lifestyle media under Business Weekly, which records verbatim that the 1983 launch of the Mansion Combo Meal's first flavor was 'Braised Beef Noodles,' and describes the details of Fu Pei-mei's involvement in recipe development and Uni-President printing her portrait on the packaging 'as evidence of joint development.'↩
- United Daily News Times – The Story of A-Q Bucket Noodles — A historical archive special by the United Daily News Group, which confirms verbatim that A-Q Bucket Noodles were launched in 1991, and in 1992 Uni-President's lion mascot named the Dominican Republic's José Canó as 'A-Q' for a baseball marketing campaign.↩2
- Uni-President Enterprise Group PECOS – Tea King Brand Page — The group's official brand website, which records verbatim: 'Since its launch in 2001, Tea King has consistently and faithfully presented office worker culture with a clever and humorous image,' with the official launch year cited as 2001.↩
- Ministry of Agriculture – From Nothing to Excellence: Lin Ching-chung Builds the Ruisui Ranch Legend — A special feature by the government's Ministry of Agriculture, which clarifies verbatim that Ruisui Ranch purchased land in 1968 (ROC Year 57) and the 'Uni-President Ruisui Fresh Milk' brand was not launched until April 3, 1998 (ROC Year 87)—a span of 30 years.↩
- United News Network – Uni-President EPS Reaches NT$3.45 in 2025 — Financial media citing board resolutions, confirming verbatim that Uni-President Enterprise's 2025 annual revenue was NT$67.286 billion (+2.3%, a new high), net profit after tax was NT$19.62 billion (-5%), and EPS was NT$3.45, with the decline attributed to rising coffee bean costs and e-commerce consolidation.↩2
- Uni-President Store Official Company Timeline (Statistics up to 2009/12/31) — An official PDF from Uni-President Store, which records in chronological order: April 1978 company establishment, May 1979 opening of 14 Uni-President Super Stores, October 1979 signing with a U.S. Southern company, February 1980 opening of the Zhong'an store, and beginning 24-hour operations in 1983—a primary source for clarifying the timeline of introductions.↩2
- Taipei Times – Taiwan in Time: The Fledgling Days of 7-Eleven — An English retrospective feature, which records verbatim that 14 stores opened in 1979, by September 1982 nearly half the capital had been lost, and the first profit was achieved in 1986, also noting the scale of losses (though the English original's use of 'billion' appears to be a mistranslation of 'hundred million,' with figures varying across sources).↩
- Wikipedia – Hsu Chung-chen — Records verbatim that Hsu Chung-chen was transferred to the bread department in 1982 due to losses in the convenience store business, and voluntarily requested a transfer back to the convenience store department in 1984, providing personnel details missing from official timelines.↩
- Business Weekly Smart – Profile of Hsu Chung-chen — Records verbatim that when Hsu Chung-chen returned in 1984, he made the critical decision to cut the then-75 stores—most of which were losing money—down to just 30 stores, a key piece of material for understanding turnaround strategies.↩
- Uni-President Store Official Investor Relations – Company Overview — The official IR website, which records verbatim that Uni-President Store Co., Ltd. (stock code 2912) was established on June 10, 1987, clarifying that the widely circulated 'founded in 1980' is a typo.↩
- MoneyDJ Finance Network – UNIQLO Convenience Store Entry — A professional finance reference work that records verbatim that UNIQLO's convenience store business became independent in June 1987, obtained the U.S. 7-ELEVEN franchise license the following year, and opened franchise applications in Taiwan in 1990, clarifying that independence and franchise opening occurred at two different times.↩
- foodnext – Founding Father of Circulation: Xu Zhongren's Feature Article — A media retrospective that records verbatim mentions of 'seven consecutive years of losses,' 'the 100th store ending the losing streak,' and 'becoming the world's third-largest 7-ELEVEN chain system in 1989.' The 'world's third-largest' claim is traceable to only this single source and is not included in official chronologies, so it should be regarded as 'one saying.'↩
- UNIQLO Convenience Store Official Company Chronology — An official PDF that records verbatim that in November 2005 UNIQLO launched the ibon Convenience Life Station, providing eight major functions to realize the ideal of a community service center, clarifying that the correct ibon launch time was November 2005 (not 2006 as stated in some English media).↩
- Wikipedia – OPEN Kid — Records verbatim that the OPEN Kid was publicly unveiled at the July 1, 2005 launch event, was designed by Dentsu in Japan, had its character birthday set as July 11 (echoing 7-11), and includes Xu Zhongren's description of the naming concept.↩2
- UNIQLO Convenience Store Official Company Overview Page — The latest official page that records verbatim that by 2025 UNIQLO surpassed 7,000 stores with 7,248 stores total, ranking first in market share, and that the 2025 consolidated total revenue reached a new high of NT$350,734,591,000, growing 3.79% year-over-year.↩
- Taiwan Chain & Franchise Promotion Association (TCFA) Industry Announcement — An industry association announcement that records verbatim that UNIQLO's total service points across Taiwan exceed 8,282, with over half the market share, and that 2025 annual revenue reached NT$3,507.3 billion, a new high, clarifying that '7,248 stores' and '8,282 service points' are two different metrics.↩
- Caixin.com – UNIQLO uniopen Membership Surpasses 19 Million — Cites UNIQLO's official September 2025 announcement, recording verbatim that OPEN POINT/uniopen member living circles across Taiwan have surpassed 19 million members.↩
- Ministry of Economic Affairs, Statistics Division – Convenience Store Density Statistics Announcement — Official statistics that record verbatim that in July 2025, Taiwan had one convenience store for every 1,659 people on average (with the total number of stores nationwide reaching 14,236 in August of the same year), serving as a primary source for density figures.↩
- Public Television Service News Network (PNN) – South Korea's Convenience Store Density Surpasses Taiwan and Japan to Rank First Worldwide — A public media report confirming that South Korea holds the world's highest convenience store density (having surpassed Taiwan and Japan); Taiwan's second-place global ranking is corroborated by multiple reports from Free Times and World Journal, correcting the common misconception that Taiwan has the world's highest density.↩
- The News Lens – The Labor Cost of 24-Hour Convenience Stores — An op-ed by an author from the National Chengchi University Labor Studies Institute that discusses verbatim the 'using the overworked to train the overworked' labor model in convenience stores, representing a key critical source on franchise and labor disputes.↩2
- Taiwan News – Taiwan's Convenience Stores (Quoting Sociologist Zhang Lixiang) — An English-language international media outlet that quotes sociologist Zhang Lixiang verbatim on Taiwan's 'island of overwork' and observations about convenience store density as a product of social structure, serving as a key opposing source traceable to a named scholar.↩2
- Manager Magazine – Starbucks' Largest Transaction in History — A finance media outlet that describes the 1998 joint venture between UNIQLO and Starbucks in the U.S. to introduce Starbucks to Taiwan (with initial shareholding ratios varying by source, details omitted in this article), as well as the context of UNIQLO's 2017 buyback of Taiwan Starbucks shares.↩
- BuzzOrange Citizen Report – UNIQLO Acquires 100% of Taiwan Starbucks Shares — Confirms verbatim that in 2017 UNIQLO Group completed the buyback of 100% of Taiwan Starbucks shares (not the widely misreported 2023).↩
- Wikipedia – Kangshifu Pharmacy — Records verbatim that Kangshifu was founded in 1989 by UNIQLO Group's investment in a small pharmacy, and officially established UNIQLO Life Business Co., Ltd. in September 1995, noting that these two time points have different natures.↩
- Wikipedia – UNIQLO Express — Records verbatim the timeline of UNIQLO signing a technical cooperation agreement with Yamato Transport in October 1999, the establishment of UNIQLO Express in January 2000, and the start of Black Cat Express operations on October 6, 2000.↩
- The Age of Digital Era — Books a Million Acquired by the Unification Family — A verbatim record of the 2000 December board resolution of Unification Supermarket, which purchased 50.025% of the shares of Books a Million for approximately NT$100 million (generally referred to as the acquisition completed in 2001).↩
- Wikipedia — Uni-President — A verbatim record of September 2004, when Unification and Japan's Joyfull each invested 50% to jointly establish Uni-President; on October 1st, the first Mister Donut opened in Tianmu, Taipei (should be distinguished from the 1984 Filipino version that failed and withdrew).↩
- Wikipedia — Unification Dream Mall — A verbatim record of the opening of Kaohsiung Dream Mall in 2007; Unification Group raised NT$3 billion for the project, with a floor area of approximately 78,000 pings; it is a different building and located in a different city from the DREAM PLAZA in Taipei's Xinyi District in 2025, and must not be confused.↩
- The CEO of Unification Group — Exclusive Interview — The interview title directly quotes Luo Zhiqian's business philosophy: 'The 24-hour living industry will never be the best and will never be saturated' (the main text is paid content; this article only cites the confirmed title wording).↩
- Central News Agency — Unification Group Buys 60% of Taiwan Carrefour for NT$2.9 Billion — First-hand news report, a verbatim record of July 19, 2022, when Unification Enterprise and Unification Supermarket held board resolutions, purchasing 60% of Carrefour's shares for NT$23.9 billion and NT$5.1 billion respectively, totaling NT$2.9 billion, acquiring all 340 stores across Taiwan.↩
- Central News Agency — Final Transaction Price of Unification's Acquisition of Taiwan Carrefour is NT$3.02 Billion — First-hand report, a verbatim record of the final transaction price in November 2025 being USD 970 million (approximately NT$3.023 billion), which is about NT$990 million less than the USD 100.2 million (approximately NT$3.116 billion) at the time of settlement in 2023.↩
- Economic Daily News — Unification's Acquisition of Carrefour Will Make It the Largest Retailer in Supermarkets and Hypermarkets — A verbatim record of Unification's retail status as 'the largest in supermarkets and hypermarkets, second in supermarkets' after the acquisition (not the unconditional leader in all categories).↩
- Fair Trade Commission — Unification's Merger with Carrefour Conditional Approval — Government first-hand document, recording the Fair Trade Commission's conditional approval of this merger case in May 2023, with附帶 conditions including protection for small and medium suppliers, prevention of channel concentration (cap on Unification Supermarket's shareholding), and reporting obligations.↩
- Inside — Why Did Carrefour Change Its Name to 'Daquanlian'? — A verbatim record of Carrefour being acquired by Daquanlian (PX Mart) in 2021, unrelated to Unification, used to clarify misleading headlines such as 'Unification Buys Carrefour, Carrefour'.↩
- Commercial Times — Unification Supermarket and Muji Reportedly Divorcing Again — A verbatim record of Taiwan Muji's equity being sold by Unification Supermarket in January 2014, and the store-within-a-store cooperation ending in 2021, confirming that Muji is no longer under Unification's business scope.↩
- Unification Enterprise Group PECOS — Group Brand Overview — The group's official brand list page, which still lists 'Taiwan Muji' under the retail channel brand category at the time of verification, serving as first-hand evidence for the detail that 'the official website has not been updated with business changes.'↩
- MoneyDJ / Crossroads of Financial Websites — Unification Enterprise China Listed in Hong Kong — Multiple financial media websites consistently report that Unification Holdings (0220.HK) was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 17, 2007, with an issue price of HK$4.22.↩
- Globe and Mail (Reprinted Official Press Release) — Unification Enterprise China 2025 Annual Performance — Reprinting the official press release of Unification Enterprise China, a verbatim record of 2025 revenue of RMB 3.171 billion (+4.6%), net profit of RMB 205 million (+10.9%), and gross margin rising to 33.2%.↩
- Nikkei Asia — Chinese Consumers Shift from Instant Noodles to Soft Drinks — An English financial media outlet, describing Unification Enterprise China's position as the main supplier of instant noodles and beverages in the Chinese market (the exact ranking wording varies across versions, which is omitted here).↩
- Unification Enterprise China Official Website — Mintea Brand Page — The official page of Unification Enterprise China, confirming that 'Mintea' is a cold brew tea brand launched by Unification Enterprise China Holdings in 2015, targeting young consumers, and belongs to the context of the Chinese mainland market.↩
- Daily Headlines – The Origin of Lao Tan Sour Cabbage Beef Noodles — Documents that Lao Tan Sour Cabbage Beef Noodles were test-launched by Uni-President in Sichuan in 2003 and rolled out nationwide in 2008, and that it is not exclusive to Uni-President (companies like Master Kong also produce products of the same name), placing it within the context of the mainland Chinese market.↩
- United Daily News – Uni-President Holdings 2025 Financial Report — Financial media reports that Uni-President Holdings' 2025 annual revenue and profit reached new highs, with beverages accounting for the majority of revenue, supplementing the business structure of the China market.↩
- Taiwan Internal Society – Compilation of Quotes from 'The Selfless Pioneer: A Biography of Gao Qifeng' — Quotes from Tianxia Culture's 'A Biography of Gao Qifeng,' verbatim inclusion of 'In order to enable the company to operate sustainably, we must never have a lifetime general manager, but should promote the renewal of company personnel, retiring at the age of 60' and 'What kind of mindset you have will create what kind of business.'↩
- Wikipedia – Gao Qifeng — Verbatim records of Gao Qifeng, born in 1929, who founded Uni-President at the age of 38 in 1967, handed over to Lin Zongsheng as general manager of Uni-President in 1989, and continued as president.↩
- Business Weekly – It Was Actually Gao Qifeng Who Recommended Xu Zhongren to Wumart! — Documents the decision-making context behind Gao Qifeng's 1987 decision to appoint Xu Zhongren as general manager of Uni-Mart.↩
- Tamkang Times No. 375 – Quotes from Business Leaders — Campus magazine quote compilation, verbatim inclusion of Gao Qifeng's words on hiring: 'Even sand will produce oil if squeezed hard enough.'↩
- Wikipedia – Luo Zhiqian — Verbatim records of Luo Zhiqian's timeline: married to Gao Xiuling in 1985, joined Uni-President in 1986, promoted to general manager in 2007, became chairman on November 12, 2013, and retired as general manager on June 22, 2016 at the age of 60, handing over to Hou Ronglong.↩2
- ETtoday Finance Cloud – Uni-President's Seamless Succession: Gao Qifeng Passed the Baton to His Son-in-Law Luo Zhiqian in 2013 — Cross-verified with the Wikipedia entry on Luo Zhiqian, confirming his promotion to general manager in 2007, joining Uni-President in 1986, and becoming chairman in 2013, forming an independent dual-source confirmation.↩
- Digital Era – Luo Zhiqian Took Over 4 Companies in 3 Years! Infographic of the Uni-Empire — Documents Luo Zhiqian's Mega Brand brand-tiering plan (Pure Tea and Miihong Red Tea as the initial trial brands), as well as the 'Phoenix Plan' for Chinese instant noodles, reducing the number of items from over 400 to fewer than 40, turning losses into profits (this item count is from a single source and should be treated as needing further strengthening).↩
- Yahoo News (Reprinted) – Uni-President Founder Gao Qifeng Passes Away at 88 — Verbatim confirmation that Gao Qifeng passed away on March 23, 2016 (April 1 as the date of the death notice), born on May 24, 1929, with the obituary stating 'died at the age of 88' being the nominal age, and the actual age being 86.↩
- Central News Agency – Chairman Ye Wenxiang of Strong Gun Found Guilty and Sentenced to 22 Years — Verbatim records that Ye Wenxiang, the mastermind behind the Strong Gun oil adulteration case, was sentenced to 20 years in the first instance, and the sentence was increased to 22 years in September 2017 due to the increase in downstream affected manufacturers to 285.↩
- Liberty Times – Product List of Downstream Manufacturers in the Strong Gun Oil Adulteration Case — Verbatim inclusion of the downstream manufacturer product list of Strong Gun's 'Universal Fragrant Lard Oil,' including the Uni-Mart indirect investment and 90% equity-owned fresh food factory 'Uni-President Musashi Field Co., Ltd.,' which is listed with 'National Stir-Fried Rice Noodles' (fully launched on May 18, 2014), representing the actual involvement of Uni-President in the Strong Gun oil adulteration chain.↩
- Liberty Times – Ting Xin Butter Contaminates 19 Uni-President Products — Verbatim records that Uni-President's subsidiary Uni-Clean purchased oil due to production line failures from Mitsubishi Shoji, and then bought 5.57 tons of Ting Xin's problematic butter, affecting 19 items including sauce packets for Full House Beef Noodles, Come and Get It, and A Q Bucket Noodles.↩
- Upstream and Downstream News – Vietnam Feed-Grade Oil Contaminates 23 Uni-President Products Including Pudding and Milk Tea Ice Cream — Verbatim records that Uni-President purchased 23 items including Uni-President Pudding and Ruisheng Fresh Milk Tea Ice Cream in 2012 through Ting Xin's channel using Vietnam feed-grade coconut oil, which were exposed in November 2014 with many already expired (the official purchase tonnage figures fluctuated, and this article does not comment on them).↩
- ETtoday – Ting Xin Settles with Uni-President for NT$103 Million After NT$1.03 Billion Claim — Verbatim records that Uni-Clean purchased oil products from Ting Xin between 2012 and 2014, and Uni-President claimed NT$103 million as a victim, settling for NT$17 million after five years of litigation, which is a key piece of evidence for the positioning of 'non-conspiracy, downstream affected purchasing party.'↩
- Environmental Info Center. Unified Apologizes; Sun Luoxi: Enterprises Finally Said What They Should Say — Verbatim record of National Taiwan University Food Science and Technology Department Professor Sun Luoxi's comments on Uni-President's public apology regarding the 2011 plasticizer incident, titled 'Enterprises Finally Said What They Should Say' (this refers to the 2011 incident and should be distinguished from the 2014 oil scandal).↩
- Taiwan Petroleum Union, Petroleum Workers, No. 395 — A union publication that verbatim discusses the essence of the franchise system as 'an extension of the outsourcing system in manufacturing,' explaining how franchise owners' procurement, pricing, display, and sales tactics are all controlled by the headquarters, providing structurally in-depth labor criticism.↩
- CSR@Taiwan. Uni-President Convenience Stores Selected for Dow Jones Sustainability Index for Six Consecutive Years — Verbatim record of Uni-President Convenience Stores being included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for six consecutive years (the only retailer in Taiwan to achieve this for six years), ranking third globally in food retail in 2024, scoring full marks in six evaluation items, and emphasizing that the subject is 'Uni-President Convenience Stores' rather than the parent company.↩
- United News Network. Uni-President Convenience Stores Recognized by Dow Jones Sustainability Index for Six Years — Cross-confirms with CSR@Taiwan the specific evaluation details of DJSI's six items full marks and industry-leading rankings.↩
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